All language subtitles for BBC.Parenthood.3of5.Grasslands.1080p.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org.mkv_1080p.en

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

(zebras grunting)

- [Narrator] Grasslands
are full of food

for numberless families.

(zebra snorting)

The grass grows continuously,
like a self-stocking fridge.

But there are few places
to hide on an open plain.

(gentle music)

So parents have problems
in keeping their young safe

while they feed.
(gentle music)

(ominous music)

African wild dogs.

Expert grassland predators.

They would make quick
work of a young zebra.

(zebra snorting)

It's a parent's nightmare.
(zebra snorting)

The father rounds up his family,

but that does little
to deter the dogs.

(gentle music)

So he makes an
extraordinary sacrifice.

He hangs back.
(gentle music)

Now he is the target.

His family can escape.
(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

This is the story of what
it takes to be a parent

in the grasslands of our planet.

(uplifting music)

Parents must constantly
balance risk and reward

in the wide open places of the
planet.

Unusual conditions can
make that much harder.

In the winter of 2023,

California received nearly
200 trillion litres of rain,

nearly double its average.

(thunder booming)

(rainfall pattering)

Creating a grassland not
seen for generations.

(gentle music)

It may seem appealing,

but not for a parent
adapted to deserts.

(gentle music)

A San Joaquin kit fox is
about the size of a house cat.

(gentle music)

The tall grass makes
it hard for her

to protect her five kits.

(gentle music)

Her kits are a
constant distraction.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

This year, all her
senses are blunted.

(gentle music)

The grass itself muffle
the sounds and smells.

In a normal year, she'd be
able to see for miles around.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

But she can't watch
over her kits forever.

(gentle music)

(crickets chirping)

As night falls, she's
faced by a serious dilemma.

She must find food for her kits.

But to do that, she
must leave them.

(ominous music)

With no parental supervision,

the kits continue to
play well into the night.

(mysterious music)

She travels nearly seven miles

in search of giant
kangaroo rats.

And they only emerge at night.

(ominous music)

But this year, hunting is
harder than it has ever been.

The long grass makes it
difficult to locate them.

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

Finally, she catches a rat.

At the den, her kits'
unsupervised playtime

has drawn some
unfortunate attention.

(ominous music)
A coyote.

He's twice the
size of a kit fox,

and one of their main predators.

(ominous music)

Catching scent to
something amiss,

the pups escape to
their underground den.

But now the coyote knows
where to find them.

Returning home, the mother
finds her family safe,

but still hungry.

One rat is not enough
to feed her five kits.

She must head out for more.

(kits gekkering)

But something isn't right.

The wind has changed
its direction.

(owl hooting)

Plenty of cover for a coyote.

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

(ominous music continues)

(ominous music continues)

There's nothing she can do.

Her remaining kits
have scattered.

(sombre music)

(sombre music continues)

(flies buzzing)

The four surviving kits
are here, alive and well.

(gentle music)

This mother will have to adapt

if she is to protect her family

in this strange, new grassland.

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music continues)

Southern England.

A single mother has
a well-tested way

of protecting her young.

(gentle music)
(wasp buzzing)

Architecture.

A potter wasp is building

the last of 25
major constructions.

It's her life's work.
(gentle music)

She must finish it
before the end of autumn.

(gentle music)

She uses her saliva
to soften the clay.

(wasp wings beating)
(gentle music)

With which she builds a nursery.

(gentle music)

Once complete,

it'll provide her young
with both shelter and food.

(gentle music)

In her signature style,
she flutes the edges.

Then she spins a thread of silk.

And on it, lays a single egg,

which will hatch in
a couple of days.

But her job has only just begun.

(bright music)

She must also fill
the pot with food,

so her offspring can develop
and emerge in the spring.

(bright music)

That will require her to
collect enough caterpillars

while the weather holds.
(wasp buzzing)

When she finds one, she
paralyses it with her sting.

(bright music)

And then puts it
into the pot, alive.

(bright music)

But British weather
is unreliable.

(thunder booming)
(rainfall splashing)

She can't fly when
it's cold and wet.

(rain pattering)

Time is slipping by.

The sun returns, but
now time is very short.

(wasp buzzing)
(bright music)

(bright music continues)

With the season on the turn,

she's not the only
one in a hurry.

(bright music)

The caterpillars are
getting restless.

(bright music)

They're making their
way down to the ground

to find somewhere
to spend the winter.

(exciting music)

She herself is
almost out of time.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)

Just one more.
(exciting music)

But maybe one that
is a little smaller.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)

With her pot now fully
provisioned, she seals it.

(gentle music)

Just in time.

Next year, in the spring,

her offspring will
emerge from its nursery

as an adult potter wasp.

As for the mother,
her work is done.

Within the next
week, she will die.

She will never
meet her offspring, offsp,

for whom she's provided
both a safe home,

and an ample larder.
(gentle music)

For many parents, providing
food is the easy part.

Giving them an education
is much more difficult.

(cheetah purring))

This cheetah mother has
single-handedly fed her three
cubs

for eight long months.

10 more, and they must be
able to feed themselves.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

Play fighting develops
their physical skills.

(flies buzzing)

And they could learn
a lot about prey

through trial and error.

Such as which kind is
most likely to fight back.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

But she must provide
them with an opportunity

to learn one skill
in particular.

(birds cawing)

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

(ominous music continues)

A fawn, too young to run
far, has been abandoned.

(gentle music)

But she doesn't kill it.

(gentle music)

Cheetah cubs don't instinctively
know how to make a kill,

and even simply making contact
with prey can be dangerous.

(gentle music)

So for this lesson,

the mother provides something
her cubs can tackle safely.

With practise over,
it's time for a test.

(wildebeest grunting)

This wildebeest calf
is too big for her cubs

to bring down by themselves.

(ominous music)

But they may have learned
enough to be of help.

(mysterious music)
(wildebeest grunting)

(wildebeest grunting)

Mother leads the chase.

(exciting music)

The calf is escaping.

(exciting music)

The cub realises that
his mother needs help.

(wildebeest grunting)

(wildebeest grunting continues)

(gentle music)

He holds on, enabling
her to reposition.

(wildebeest grunting)

(gentle music)

Cheetah mothers work alone
in educating their cubs.

But some parents
require a partner,

just to keep their young safe.

(gentle music)

The Eurasian Steppe,
(gentle music)

two million square
miles of grassland,

the biggest on the planet.

It's an exposed place in
which to raise a family.

(birds chirping)

Parenting here
requires teamwork.

Demoiselle cranes
travel over 3,000 miles

to nest in Mongolia.

They feed on grass and insects,

and here, both are plentiful.

(gentle music)

Protecting the eggs requires
two diligent parents.

One stays with the eggs,

(crane calling)

while the other feeds.

However, parents must be
prepared to face the unexpected.

There is a growing threat
to almost every grassland

on Earth.
(sheep bleating)

Globally, the number of
domesticated livestock

has tripled over
the last century.

So there is far less
space for wild animals.

(sheep bleating)

Their clumsy new neighbours

are more dangerous
than they look.

One hoof wrong, and
the eggs could be lost.

One parent tries to
redirect the herd.

(jaunty music)

But the sheep aren't
taking the hint.

(crane calling)
(sheep bleating)

And the stakes have just
got a little higher.

The parents have no choice.
They must fight together.

(jaunty music)
(sheep bleating)

(jaunty music)

Enough is enough.

It's time to deploy
the crane kick.

(jaunty music)
(crane calling)

(jaunty music)

(jaunty music continues)

Job done.
(sheep bleating)

But the crane parents'
task has only just started.

The pair will continue
to protect their chicks

for nearly a year.
(chick chirping)

(gentle music)

Sharing the load certainly
makes parenting easier.

And for some families, even
two parents are not enough.

(gentle music)

African wild dogs need the
help of their whole family

to raise their young.

(gentle music)

A breeding pair
cannot do it alone.

The whole pack is
responsible for parenting

the next generation.
(gentle music)

And this pack has been
unusually successful.

30 members strong, it's
three times the average size.

(gentle music)

Such numbers should be an asset,

(dogs yipping)

but over half of them still
have some growing up to do.

(dogs chittering)

The teenagers are
something of a liability.

(exciting music)

Their inexperience could ruin
a hunt before it even starts.

Their parents have a big
job ahead to control the

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)

A really big job.
(dogs chittering)

The matriarch of
the pack is nursing.

She has another 10
puppies back in the den.

She and her partner
must find enough food

for the whole family.

(gentle music)

(buffalo mooing)

Buffalo are seldom
attacked by wild dogs.

Their size, horns, and numbers

make them potentially
very dangerous.

But with so many mouths to feed,

the bigger the prey, the better.

(gentle music)

The pack size could
give them a chance.

If the youngsters
behave properly.

The herd is heading out
to feed in the grassla

where they'll be more exposed.

(gentle music)

The odds of a successful hunt

are shifting in
the pack's favour.

(mysterious music)

The adults steer the
pack into position

at the edge of the forest.

There, they will be able
to get closer to the herd.

(mysterious music)

(mysterious music continues)

Now they must select
an individual.

(mysterious music)

The matriarch knows
they must be patient.

Timing is key.
(exciting music)

But once again, the youngsters
break cover too soon.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)
(buffalo mooing)

Their enthusiasm has
given the buffalo time

to form a defensive group.

(buffalo mooing)

They themselves
are now in danger.

They move too
close, too quickly.

(exciting music)

And worse, they're chasing the
biggest buffalo in the herd.

So big they could
kill a young dog

with a single well-placed kick.

(exciting music)

The matriarch seems to know

that their chances
are dwindling.

(buffalo mooing)

Selecting a target within the
trees is almost impossible.

(exciting music)
(buffalo mooing)

The youngsters have
wasted their chance.

The parents, however, are
watching for a weak buffalo

to make a wrong move.
(exciting music)

An unprotected calf.

It won't provide a
meal for everyone,

but it's better than nothing.

(exciting music)
(dogs barking)

This time, the youngsters
are following their parents.

(exciting music)
(buffalo mooing)

(buffalo mooing continues)

But now the odds clearly
favour the buffalo.

(gentle music)

There will be many
more failed hunts

before the teenagers
are of any real help.

But with time and practise,

they will become
experienced enough

to assist in raising
the next generation.

(gentle music)

For many parents, practise
is essential for success.

India.

This Hanuman langur is
pregnant for the first time.

It won't be long
before she gives birth.

But she's not ready yet.
(birds chirping)

Many parenting skills are
not instinctive for langurs.

If this young female
wants to give her newborn

the best start in life,

she must learn how to be a
mother before she gives birth.

Fortunately, being part of a
troop provides an opportunity

for her to practise.
(birds chirping)

Time for some prenatal classes.

(jaunty music)

But parents are often choosy

about who they allow to babysit.

(jaunty music)

The expectant mother
has to persuade someone

to give her a chance.
(langurs squealing)

Baby snatching isn't
the best start.

(jaunty music)

She must take a
gentler approach.

(langur squealing)

But babysitting is
harder than it looks.

Mishandling a baby
could be fatal,

for both the baby and
her social standing.

(gentle music)

That's better.
(langur chittering)

She's even learned when it
is that an exhausted mother

could use a helping hand.
(jaunty music)

(jaunty music)

These newly acquired skills
will prepare her for parenthood.

(gentle music)

And just in time.

Last night, she moved away
from the troop and gave birth.

(gentle music)

Tender moments like these
create a bond with her baby.

But away from the troop,
the pair are vulnerable.

And there are some things

for which it is
impossible to prepare.

(dogs barking)

Feral dogs on the
lookout for an easy meal.

(langurs chittering)
(dogs barking)

A newborn baby monkey
is an obvious target.

She needs to find a way back
to the safety of the troop.

(ominous music)

Without injuring her baby.

(exciting music)

(exciting music continues)
(dogs barking)

The troop rally round her.

(exciting music)
(langurs squealing)

(exciting music)

Her practise has paid off.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

Now that she's returned to
the safety of the troop,

she has as many
trusted babysitters

as any mother could wish for.

(gentle music)

Where conditions are hostile,

parents may need
to band together.

(birds chirping)

Temperatures in the
Kalahari can exceed

a formidable 45 degrees Celsius.

So these sociable weaver
parents have joined forces

with other families

to build a climate-controlled
home for their young.

(gentle music)
(birds chirping)

The nest they produce is the
largest built by any bird.

A thatched roof
weighing over a tonne

is a very effective shield
against the worst of the heat.

(gentle music)

A single pair couldn't
possibly build

such an enormous construction.

(gentle music)

It takes a whole
community to do that.

(gentle music)
(birds chirping)

At least half the parents
also have helpers.

Offspring from previous years
do stick around to babysit.

(gentle music)
(birds chirping)

The helpers feed the
chicks, maintain the nest,

and watch out for danger.

(birds chirping)
(gentle music)

As the day gets hotter,
snakes become more active.

(gentle music)

This cobra could eat every
single chick in the colony

in a matter of days.

(birds twittering)
(gentle music)

But the community
has other ideas.

(tense music)

It's a neighbourhood
watch with wings.

But a less visible
threat is building.

The temperature is rising.

(ominous music)

It's only a couple of
degrees above average,

but as the heat wave drags on,

every family is affected.

(ominous music)

Even a small rise
in the temperature

can have big consequences.

Parents and helpers alike
are too hot to look for food,

maintain the nest, or
watch out for danger.

All they can do is
sit in the shade.

It's every bird for itself.

The chicks are left alone
for hours at a time.

(ominous music)

(ominous music continues)

An adult shows up.
(ominous music)

But it's from a
different family.

And it isn't here to help.
(birds chirping)

Scientists don't
understand exactly why,

but more chicks are
ejected from a colony

during heatwaves than
at any other time.

Social order starts
to break down,

even when the rise in
temperature is quite small.

(sombre music)

It seems that most families here

are living on the very
edge of what is tolerable.

They're only just
coping with a world

that is 1.2 degrees warmer.

But the temperature
is still rising.

The world is
changing so quickly.

To ensure a future for
the next generation,

parents everywhere will
have to forge a new path.

The end of summer, high up
on the Patagonian plateau.

In order to produce
milk for her calf,

this guanaco needs
to feed constantly.

She's also pregnant.
(wind blowing)

Snow comes early
at high altitudes,

covering what's
left of the grass.

Grazers are driven
downhill in search of food.

(gentle music)

When they reach the
lowest elevations,

the guanaco will have
enough shelter and food

to see them through the winter.

(gentle music)

They just need to get there.

(gentle music)

(ominous music)

But fences now cut
across the landscape.

They're almost
impossible to avoid.

(tense music)

Adult guanaco can get across,

but calves usually can't.
(tense music)

(tense music continues)

In her haste, she
leaves her calf

on the wrong side of the fence.

She is desperate to move on.

The demands of both pregnancy
and producing milk are high

and good winter grazing
in the valley is so close.

(fence clanking)

(gentle music)

He will not survive alone.
(sombre music)

(sombre music continues)

Going back will mean a
longer, less certain path.

Nevertheless, she rejoins him.

(gentle music)

There are nearly 100,000
miles of fences in Patagonia.

(gentle music)

It's not possible to
avoid them completely.

(gentle music)

She must find a safer route
through for them both.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

She tries again.

There's something
different about this fence.

(gentle music)

The top line has been removed.

She's done all she can.
Now he must make the jump.

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music continues)

(uplifting music continues)

Together, they rejoin the herd

for the last leg
into the valley.

(uplifting music)

A changing world is
forcing parents everywhere

to make new and
difficult choices

in order to protect and provide
for the next generation.

(gentle music)

In the vast grasslands
of Patagonia,

guanaco scientist Malena
Candino is on a mission.

- For my research,

I wanted to understand
guanaco's use of habitat.

Migratory species have a
pretty disproportionate effect

on the ecosystem

because they can carry nutrients
from one area to another,

areas that might otherwise
not be connected.

(gentle music)

- It's in the bush.
- That's right.

- [Narrator] The
"Parenthood" team are here

to record the story of adult
guanacos and their calves,

known here as chulengos.

- [Malena] There's like four,
five, six other chulengos

that are all on the other side.

Look at them go!

- [Narrator] Soon after
cameraman John Aitchison

started filming,

the issues facing guanaco
parents became clear.

(gentle music)

- There's a young guanaco here

that's walking up and
down this fence line.

And it's just going
backwards and forwards,

backwards and forwards, not
being able to find a way.

It's so completely pointless

'cause there's no
livestock here,

so the fence is redundant.

Anything it's actually doing

is separating this
mum from the baby.

Horrible.

- [Narrator] Ranching in
Patagonia peaked in the 1950s.

But since then, livestock
numbers here have nearly halved,

and many ranches
have been abandoned.

Their remnants
litter the landscape.

- A lot of these fences are
just relics, at this point.

They don't really have a purpose

and they have a big
impact in this population.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] As the crew
begin another filming day,

they stumbled across
the inevitable.

An entangled chulengo
unable to free itself.

Malena and director Dom
race to save its life.

(sombre music)

(sombre music continues)

- I.

Shh, shh. (beep)

No, no. Okay, okay.

Shh shh shh shh shh shh.

Stuck in the other one! (beep)

Ah! Ah!

(gentle music)

Thank you.

- You all right?
- Yeah.

(gentle music)

I do see some guanacos.

Hopefully that's its group,

and it will be able
to reunite with them.

I mean, it's good that
we could help this one,

but you need more
than that, right?

'Cause this is not
the only chulengo

that gets stuck
or gets separated.

This happens so many
times every day.

So something bigger
has to change.

- [Narrator] The problem is
widespread across Patagonia.

It's estimated that fences
are responsible for the deaths

of at least 30,000 guanaco
in Patagonia every year.

(sombre music)

- If they just made them a tiny
bit lower,

took a line out the middle,
be such a simple solution.

And it'd make the world
of difference, I think,

to guanacos in Argentina.

- [Narrator] For Sofía Heinonen
of Rewilding Argentina,

the loss of guanacos
signals a greater problem.

- If there is no guanacos,
the ecosystem will collapse.

The grasslands in Argentina
are very important,

it's one of the main
ecosystem we have here,

but have been very degraded
because of the cattle.

So we need to restore them

because many, many
species depend on that.

They evolve in this ecosystem.

- [Narrator] But there
are simple solutions.

Fences no longer in use
can be removed entirely.

(gentle music)

And for those that must
remain, it's even easier.

By just snipping the top wire,

it allows safer passage for
guanacos and their young.

(gentle music)

- 200 metres down the road,

you can see where
Rewilding Argentina

have taken the top
line off the fence,

and we've not seen any
guanacos stuck on those fences.

- I think the work that
Rewilding Argentina does

is extremely important,

and I think this could be
done anywhere and everywhere

in the world and
it should be done.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] Such a simple
solution can have a huge impact.

With up to 70% of our
grasslands supporting livestock,

fences have become one
of the most widespread,

manmade features on Earth.

(gentle music)

It's within our power to
remove them where we can

for the benefit of wildlife.

- The soul of Patagonia
is the wildlife.

We can have a huge landscape,

but without wildlife,
it's an empty scenario.

(uplifting music)

I have a complete hope,
and I'm very optimistic

of the capacity of
nature to recover.

(uplifting music)

- [Narrator] We have the
power to help nature recover.

And sometimes it's
the simplest changes

that can have the most
positive and profound impacts.

(gentle music)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)

(gentle music continues)